Pliers



June 14, 1932- 7 c 7A. ARCHBOLD h 1,363,037

'PLIERS Filed Aug. 18. 1950 Patented June 14, 1932 UNETED STATES CHARLES PATENT oFFIcE A. ABCI EBOLD, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO SALT LAKE STAMP COMPANY, 015 SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF UTAH PLIERS 7 Application filed August 18,

of tags.

Second. To make the removable portions of the jaws in the form of conveniently interchangeable inserts or cradles, having different stops and engaging portions to accommodate 115 different ear tags, and operating as forming dies.

Third. To be simple and efficient in Opera tion.

Fourth. To be inexpensive.

Metal ear tags are in common use for marking domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep and hogs, these tags being of various sizes and styles. Heretofore, it has been the custom to use a separate pair of pliers for each size or style, but by means of the present in vention, it is necessary to incur the expense of only one pair of pliers, while the inserts or cradles can be furnished at trifling cost.

As the description progresses, it will become clear that the invention could be used for pliers other than ear tag pliers and include removable aw portions for a variety ofpurposes,

The features of this invention for which the protection of Letters Patent of the United States is desired, are collectively grouped in the claims concluding this specification.

In the drawings, which illustrates one embodiment of my improved ear tag pliers,

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation, partly. in section, taken along the vertical center plane, the j aw-s being open;

Fig. 2 a fragmentary side elevation showing parts located in foreground of Fig. 1, the jaws being closed;

Fig. 3 still another, fragmentary side elevation, showing a'dilferent insertor cradle to accommodate a tagof smaller size than that shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 a section takenon line 4-4, Fig.

1930. Serial No. 475,865.

1, drawn to an enlarged scale, omitting the e;

Fig. 5 a fragmentary view, in exploded perspective, showing one of the interchangeable inserts or cradles and the jaw which accommodates the same;

Fig. 6 a perspective view, showingindividually, the cradle indicated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 a perspective view of an ear tag, open, ready for fastening by means of the pliers; and

Fig. 8 a side elevation of the tag after hav ing been operated on by the pliers;

Referring to the drawing, the pliers may consist of jaws and 21, pivotally connected to each other at 24. The jaw 21 may be integral with the handle 21-1, while the jaw 20 may be pivoted at 25 to a handle 26, the latter having a bellcrank composition in conjunctionwith arms 26-1. These arms may be pivoted at 27 to the link 28, which in turn may be pivoted at 29, to the handle 21-1. The handles 21-1 and 26 may be yieldably held in an open position, Fig. 1, by means of a double-acting spring 31. In compressing the handles, a powerful compound squeezing action is exerted by the jaw.

Ear tags for identifying animals are usually supplied to the user in the form illustrated at 32 in Figs. 1 and 7.

In applying such atag to an animal, the tag is squeezed together, whereby a sharp point 34 pierces the ear, and passes through a hole 35 in the lower blade 32-1, the point being curled up or clinched on the under side of the I blade 32-1, as indicated at 36, Fig. 8.

So far as the tag and the manner of applying it are concerned, there is nothing new in the present invention. The novelty resides in what will now be described.

Instead of forming the jaw 20 in the usual manner,- I provide preferably a bottom portion 37, having the upstanding side walls 38 and 39. Extending across these walls, is an insert or cradle 40, removably held.v in place in the aw by means of the forwardly positioned projections 38-1 and 39-1, and the rearwardly positioned overhanging projections 38-2 and 39-2 which latter partially define notches 38-3 and 39-3, all the projections being preferably integral with the respective walls.

Cradle 40 preferably has the side channels 48 and 49, forming integral parts thereof, and being adapted when the cradle is slipped into place in the jaws, to have the rearward portions 48-3 and 49--3 enter the notches 3S3 and 39-3 respectively. At the same time, the forward portions 48-1 and 491, respectively, sink into place adj acent, and behind the projections 381 and 39-1. Furthermore, fingers 50 and 51, which depend from the outer flanges of channels 48 and 49 respectively engage the sides 38 and 39, finally gripping the same in the engaged positions shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The cradle is preferably made of sheet spring steel, tempered, which allows the lingers 50 and 51 to slip down over the respective walls of the jaw and firmly grip the same without fatigue. The side channels 48 and 49 may be joined by a bed portion 41, this being provided with the usual front stop 42, tag clinching groove 43, and rear stop 45, common to ear tag pliers. Notches 46 may be formed between the fingers 50 and 51 and the respective outside depending flanges of channels 48 and 49, these notches being provided to gi've a freer spring action to the fingers. The cradle 40 shown in Fig. 5 is designed for onecertain size of tag, while the cradle shown in Fig 6, is for another size tag,

a smaller one, as previously touched upon herein. The spring fingers 501 and 51--1, and channels 484 and 494, with their re lated parts of cradle 60, are similar to the respective parts of cradle 40, and may be interchangeably inserted in the jaw 20. It

will be noted, however, that the portion 411, together with the parts 421 and "451 of cradle 60 are different from the corresponding parts of cradle 40, and that still other cradles, having the desired mod1fica- 'tions, may be substituted, itbeing remembered of course, that fingers corresponding to 50, and portions similar to the engaging portions of channels 48, are required to be presentso as to interchangeably engage any particular jaw for which the cradles are designed such as 41, 42, 45 and so on, serve as ear tag forming or shaping portions, since they are lnstrumental in giving final form to the ear tags.

comprehending the purpose of this invention makes it obvious that in its broad aspect, it might be applied in modified forms to tools other than ear tag pliers.

Ear tag pliers are usually formed of plate metal stampings, which makes the use of the present invention particularly advantageous.

When operating on ear tags with the present pliers, the tags are held in place in the jaws from front to back, by stops 42 and 45, while in the sidewise directions, the tags are held by the side channels 48 and 49 which act as side stops.

Ear tags are often made of sheet or strip steel and it therefore becomes a matter of utility as well as novelty, to make the removable cradles of tool or spring steel. These are the principal forming parts of the jaws and are subject to the greatest amount of wear in closing and clinching steel tags.

For the sake of economy, ear tag pliers are made of soft sheet steel, and to use tool or spring steel for the entire plier structure would entail a prohibitive expense. In the soft steel structure, operation on steel tags soon wears out the jaws. Therefore, the cradle, which is characteristic of the present invention and forms such --a small part of the pliers, makes it possible to use the more expensive material at the place where it is really needed.

While a specific embodiment of this invention is herein disclosed, it is to be understood that various modifications can readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Pliers, including in combination, a aw having forwardly disposed upstanding portions, rearwardly disposed notched portions, and a cradle removably positioned in said engaging portions so thatone end of the cradle is positionedin said notchesand the other end of the cradle is positioned immediately backof said upstanding portions.

2. Pliers having a jaw, said jaw including in combination a notched portion at one end thereof, an upstanding portion at theother end thereof, and any-one of a certain plurality ,of removable inserts, all of said removable inserts interchangeably fitting into the notched portion and back of the upstanding portion of-said jaw, but various individuals of said plurality having varying engaging portions for holding ear'tags differing from one another, said individuals also having clinching wells variously positioned so as to be operative in the process of clinching the corresponding ear tags.

3. Pliers, includingincombination, a aw having side walls spaced apart from each other, and an insert for said jaw; saidinsert having side channel portions spaced apart fronreach other to correspond to the spacing of saidside walls, each channel portion being disposed to straddle the respective side wall, and means whereby-said insert is held in position on said side walls.

4. Pliers, including in combination, a jaw having side walls spaced apart from each other, overhanging portions at least partially defining notches at one end of the side walls, upstanding portions at the other end of said side walls, and an insert for said jaw; said insert having inverted channel portions spaced apart from each other to correspond to the spacing of said side walls, each chan nel portion being disposed to straddle the respective side wall, to have one end thereof positoned in one of said notches and to have the other end thereof positioned adjacent one of said upstanding portions.

5. Pliers, including in combination, a'jaw portion and an insert for said jaw portion' said insert comprising two channels spaced apart from each other, a bed extending from the inner flange of one channel to the inner flange of the other channel, and means for holding said insert in position in said jaw portion.

6. An insert for plier jaws and the like, said insert including in combination, two channels spaced apart from each other, and a bed extending from the inner flange of one channel to the inner flange of the other channel, said bed being provided with article forming portions.

7. An insert for plier jaws and the like,

said insert including in combination, two

channels spaced apart from each other, and a bed extending from the inner flange of one channel to the inner flange of the other channel, said bed being disposed to receive an ear tag and having a front stop, a rear stop, and a clinching well between said stops.

8. An insert for plier jaws and the like, said insert including in combination, two channels spaced apart from each other, and a bed extending from the inner flange of one channel to the inner flange of the other channel, said bed being disposed to receive an ear tag, and having its rear portion detached from said inner flanges and upturned to form a rear stop for said ear tag.

9. Pliers, including in combination, a jaw having side walls spaced apart from each other, and an insert for said j aw; said insert having side channel portions spaced apart from each other to correspond to the spacing of said side walls, each channel portion being disposed to straddle the respective side wall, and spring fingers depending from the outer flanges of said channels, said fingers engaging said jaw.

10. Pliers, including in combination, a jaw portion and an insert for said jaw portion; said insert comprising'two channels spaced apart from each other, a bed extending from the inner flange of one channel to the inner flange of the other channel, and spring fingers, depending from the outer flanges of said channels, said fingers engaging said jaw.

In testimony whereof, I sign my name hereto.

CHARLES A. ARCI-IBOLD. 

